10 x 10 inches, oil and mixed media on panelDay 15 - Halfway through my 30 days!
I worked on this painting longer than most and it was nice not to have to rush, although I still ran out of light near the end. "Daylight savings" has robbed me of another hour of afternoon light.
The background is built up with alternating layers of gold leaf and tissue paper and brown stain. The tissue paper soaks up the glue and becomes nicely transparent.
Two seashells and a quartz sphere sit on top of the box, I like the contrast of the perfectly machined sphere next to the wobbly spirals of the shells. I think the skull looks less menacing in this context - more like part of a naturalist's little collection. I think of this as my tiny "cabinet of curiosities".
Gardenia petals are quite thick, evident from the fat curls at the edges. I'd love to do a more detailed study of this flower, it was so enjoyable to paint. And for once my studio smells better than the usual turpentine and rubber cement fumes.
Edited to Add: Blogger was being cranky about uploading images yesterday but it's faster today, so here are the process shots:
